With the approach of veterans day, this quote just seemed right:
Links
John Adams on free trade and business…
Saturday, September 23, 2006
In a diary entry, John Adams reflects on the importance of business in America. We often forget that our import/export trade and the ability to do business freely is what helped build the country.
“We have nothing to fear but Disunion among ourselves. What will disunite us, more than the Decay of all Business. The People will feel, and will say that Congress tax them and oppress them worse than Parliament.”
John Adams on Innocence Until Proven Guilty
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
From an entry in his autobiography, we can see that John Adams had feelings on the matter of waiting to judge.
“We have received sundry Letters from Lt. Simpson, and sundry Certificates from Officers and others, concerning his Behaviour in General, and particularly upon that Occasion, in which he is charged with disobedience of Orders…. Without giving or forming any decided Opinion concerning his guilt or innocence of the Crime laid to his charge, We may venture to say that the Certificates We have received are very favourable to his Character, and at least afford reason to hope, that he did not mean to disobey his orders.”
Lazy Sunday’s with John Adams
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Even John Adams had his lazy days. Consider this quote from his diary:
“I have read about 10 Pages in Justinian and Translated about 4 Pages into English. This is the whole of my Days Work. I have smoaked, chatted, trifled, loitered away this whole day almost. By much the greatest Part of this day has been spent, in unloading a Cart, in cutting oven Wood, in making and recruiting my own fire, in eating nuts and apples, in drinking ”
If only Adams had the NFL
A Day Late, But Still Remembering 9-11 with John Adams
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Though any number of quotes from John Adams may relate to the remembering of the tragic events of 9-11-01, this one just seemed to ring of liberty. It sings of the way John Adams considered liberty a product of the people; the way he considered it a product of the power that people have when they work together.
“Liberty, according to my metaphysics is a self-determining power in an intellectual agent. It implies thought and choice and power.”
The Chaning of Things…
Monday, September 4, 2006
According to recent surveys, Americans are in favor of change…..they are in favor of any change so that being in opposition to an incumbent may be an advantage. John Adams favored change on many occasions. Consider his plea to Congress during his Third Annual Message to Congress (essentially a State of the Union):
“To give due effect to the civil administration of Government and to insure a just execution of the laws, a revision and amendment of the judiciary system is indispensably necessary. In this extensive country it can not but happen that numerous questions respecting the interpretation of the laws and the rights and duties of officers and citizens must arise. On the one hand, the laws should be executed; on the other, individuals should be guarded from oppression. Neither of these objects is sufficiently assured under the present organization of the judicial department. I therefore earnestly recommend the subject to your serious consideration. ”
What do you think?
On Happiness and the Role of Government…
Sunday, September 3, 2006
There is constant talk on the news, in the papers, and around water coolers about government’s role in our lives. Do you agree with what John Adams had to say about happiness and government?
“The happiness of society is the end of government”
On Service…
Thursday, August 31, 2006
This week, in Indiana, two police officers who were killed during a charity bicycle ride were laid to rest. This is a bit self-service as one was a relative of mine, but nonetheless, John Adams did have somethign to say about service to man:
“If we do not lay out ourselves in the service of mankind whom should we serve?”
It seemed pertinent and it seemed right.
On Change…
Saturday, August 26, 2006
The news is seemingly the same every day, so today I just want to reflect on what John Adams said about change.
“All great changes are irksome to the human mind, especially those which are
attended with great dangers and uncertain effects.”
War, Conflict, and Politics
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
The United Nations approved force in Lebonan with a newly drafted “rules of engagement.” It seemed appropriate to take a look at how John Adams connected politics and conflict:
“The science of government it is my duty to study, more than all other
sciences; the arts of legislation and administration and negotiation
ought to take the place of, indeed exclude, in a manner, all other arts.
I must study politics and war, that our sons may have liberty to study
mathematics and philosophy. Our sons ought to study mathematics and
philosophy, geography, natural history and naval architecture,
navigation, commerce and agriculture in order to give their children
a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary,
tapestry and porcelain.”